Denmark on Rye at Aamanns-Copenhagen

New York has nothing else quite like Aamanns-Copenhagen, a week-old restaurant and bar that specializes in the Danish open-face sandwiches called smørrebrød (pictured). Built on dark, malty, house-baked rye bread, they're piled high with seasonal toppings like pork pâté with hazelnut, kale, and apple. They're $7 to $9 each, and two would make a decent lunch, sgordon reports on Chowhound.

But he advises looking beyond the sandwich menu to rotating specials like a trio of herring preparations: cured with cream, pickled onion, and endive; fried with spicy vinaigrette, pumpkin purée, onion rings, and dill; and a knockout gingered variation in curry vinaigrette. "This isn't your grandpa's herring, that's for sure—rich, silky, delicate, spectacular." For dessert, try koldskål, a traditional cold buttermilk soup with toasted oats, a hint of lemon verbena, and just enough sweetness ("I could eat a bowl for breakfast every day," sgordon says). All this goes down nicely with drinks from the menu, like intensely aromatic house-infused aquavits—three good choices are parsley, roasted pumpkin, and yeasty, lightly sweet "rye bread"—or beers from Denmark's Evil Twin Brewing, including a crisp draft pilsner.

Aamanns-Copenhagen, whose opening was pushed back almost a year, turns out to be well worth the wait, sgordon adds, and it fills a casual niche in a New York Nordic scene better known for higher-end joints like Aquavit and Acme. "A great place to while away some time, sampling sandwiches and sipping a beer or two or three," he says.